


n’s travels

by orphan_account



Series: home is where you are [3]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series)
Genre: Arora-chichou | Alola, F/M, Houen-chichou | Hoenn, Isshu-chihou | Unova, Jouto-chihou | Johto, Kalos-chihou | Kalos, Kanto-chihou | Kanto, Shinoh-chihou | Sinnoh, all about n's journey around the world, n loves nature, nature appreciation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 04:16:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19287940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: In the two years between the fall of Team Plasma to its rebirth, N does a lot of traveling. Here is a small look into where he went.





	n’s travels

**Author's Note:**

> this work is centered around [this series of drawings](https://shinyswablue.tumblr.com/tagged/n%E2%80%99s-travels-outside-unova) by effiesketch
> 
> pokémon belongs to nintendo

He tried not to look back as they flew. It was already hard enough for him to leave quite literally everything he had ever known. And yet, he knew in his heart that this was the right thing to do. This was what he had to do.

He gripped Reshiram’s fur and let his head drop enough that his forehead rested against its back.

_“Where are we going?”_

“... I don’t know yet.”

_“What do you want to do?”_

N lifted his head. “I want to see the truth.”

* * *

**Kanto**

Some of N’s earliest memories come from the forest. He doesn’t remember a whole lot about his parents or anything before living with his friends in the woods.

Even after Ghetsis took him in and locked him away in a giant prison disguised as a playroom, N’s heart belonged to the outdoors, to the gentle greens and browns of plants pushing out of the dirt, determined to make their way to the sun.

It’s no surprise the first place he finds himself is deep inside Viridian Forest. 

They touch down on the forest floor, and N gets hit with a strong wave of hiraeth for his forest, and his friends he hasn’t seen in some twenty odd years. 

He breathes in the scent of the woods, his lungs filling with the purity of life around him. 

For the first time in a very long time, he feels safe.

Something rustles near the ground, and N turns to see a Caterpie peering out at him. His huge beady eyes watch him carefully. N crouches down, holding his hand out to the little bug. 

“Hi there,” he says gently. 

The Caterpie approaches, not taking his eyes off N. He sniffs N’s outstretched hand, then, deciding that he’s safe, begins to climb up his arm. 

“Hey that tickles,” N laughs as Caterpie’s suction cupped feet worm their way up until he’s perched on his shoulder. 

He sees a flash of purple and a Butterfree comes out from behind the tree.

She, just like the Caterpie, stares at him with her enormous red eyes. She tilts her head towards the Caterpie currently making a nest in N’s hair. 

N sits down in the grass, letting both the Caterpie and the Butterfree settle in where they are comfortable.

He stays like this, watching the way the sunlight shifts from morning to afternoon. 

He is happy.

He is free.

* * *

**Johto**  
_Bell (Tin) Tower_

He hears the legends about Bell Tower from the locals. It used to be called Tin Tower, but its name got changed some time ago that no one alive remembers.

He enjoys the story.

It goes like this:

Centuries ago, two towers were built opposite each other. They were built to nurture friendship and hope between people and Pokémon. The eastern tower was said to awaken Pokémon, while the western tower was where Pokémon rested. The view at the top of the towers is supposedly magnificent. 

About a hundred and fifty years ago, lightning struck the tower in the west, igniting and engulfing it in flames that burned for three days. A sudden downpour extinguished the fire, but by then, the tower had already burnt to the ground.

Three nameless Pokémon perished in the fire, but Ho-Oh descended from the sky and resurrected them. They embody three powers: the lightning that struck the tower, the fire that burned it, and the rain that extinguished the fire. 

When the Pokémon appeared, they brought terror to those who saw their rise. The three Pokémon, aware of their great and terrible power, fled, running like the wind off into the grasslands. 

It is a beautiful story, and N is lucky enough to be one of the people allowed to go inside. Ever since the region Champion, a kid from New Bark Town, befriended Ho-Oh, they’ve become more welcoming. After all, the towers’ purposes were to develop the relationship between people and Pokémon.

The old wood floor creaks beneath his feet, and he can smell incense burning from somewhere in the tower. As he explores, he is joined by a couple of Furrets who are curious about the newcomer. 

He reaches the top, and it is every bit as lovely as the locals say. He stands there, imprinting the sight into his memory. 

From what he’s seen of this region so far, he can tell it is a peaceful one. Just about everywhere he’s been, he finds people and Pokémon living together in a way he once thought was impossible. 

In Goldenrod City, Pokémon wander around the city as freely as anybody else. The National Park is inhabited by wild Pokémon, and frequented by many people, but there is no hostility between them.

He returns to the entrance of the tower and lays down on the warm stones. He closes his eyes, feeling the sun’s warmth against his clothes. At some point, the Furrets curl up near him, and together, they slip into unconsciousness.

_Cianwood City_

N can’t remember the last time he’s been to the beach.

Now that he thinks about it, it’s possible he’s never been to the beach. 

He rolls up his pants, pulls off his socks, and kicks off his shoes. He sets them aside and wades out into the edge of the water. 

He watches with a childlike fascination at the waves crashing in and retreating back out. He wiggles his toes in the frothy foam outlining the shape of the wave. 

It is delightful. 

A slow grin spreads across his face as he walks along the shore. He leaves footprints in the wet sand and waits for the water to wipe them away. In a few minutes, it’ll be like he was never even there. 

Reshiram rests farther up the sand, away from the water. 

Off in the distance, N can make out the faint outline of the Whirl Islands. He’s been told Lugia dwells deep in the caverns, hidden by a waterfall and protected by the whirlpools surrounding the islands.

He plops down in the sand, leaning against Reshiram’s side. Reshiram opens one eye to look at him, then goes back to snoozing.

N dozes off. He has a dream. In it, he’s walking with someone on a beach, but it’s not this one. He can’t quite see her face, but she laughs, and then begins to run deeper into the water. Her chocolate brown ponytail swishes as she runs. She stops when the water is about knee level, and beckons N to join her. N squints into the sun, but before N can follow, he wakes up. 

The sun is setting, the bottom just barely disappearing below the horizon. It turns the water into a vibrant orange, with small diamonds of light reflecting off the tips of the waves. 

It’s beautiful, but a little too painful to look at for an extended period of time. 

N reflects on his dream. Already, it’s slipping away from him, the details becoming blurry and undefined, but that’s not what’s the most pressing issue. The dream’s setting radiated an aura of peace and contentment, one that N has never really experienced before. 

He knows he recognizes the girl in the dream, but his mind can’t connect the dots. It bugs him for a while, before fading into his subconscious.

* * *

**Hoenn**  
_Route 119_

N likes the sound of the raindrops hitting Tropius’ leaves.

He takes refuge along with a Gloom and Oddish, as the sky opens up above them.

The storm would make Zekrom envious. Or at the very least, impress it. 

Reshiram has taken cover in thicker foliage. 

N wants to witness the raw nature of this storm in all its glory. He doesn’t care that Tropius’ leaves aren’t waterproof. He observes the sky, the flashes of lightning, and the crashes of thunder. 

One of the region’s legendaries, Kyogre, possesses the power to expand the ocean with torrential downpours and massive tidal waves. 

This rain is just a fraction of what N imagines Kyogre is capable of. 

A boom of thunder shakes the sky, and N shivers. The hair on the back of his neck stands up, and goosebumps cover his skin. Droplets of water roll off Tropius’ leaves and splash on N’s head. 

Although he has taken cover, the tropical mist saturates the air, and he ends up soaked anyways. 

He laughs to himself because he is _alive._

The wet clothes sticking to his skin, the goosebumps covering his arms, the shiver that runs through spine are all a testament to that.

He likes having companions with him, as they wait out this storm together. 

Eventually, the rain slows to a gentle drizzle, and then nothing at all.

_Lavaridge Town_

Reshiram convinces N to go in the hot springs.

“What are they?” N asks.

_“Good for you.”_

He sinks in slowly, letting his skin adjust to the heat rising up through the water. Little by little, his muscles relax, and all of the tension in his body melts away. 

He stretches slightly, and his heart leaps when he feels something in the water with him. 

A Kecleon recolors, tilting his head at N. Only his eyes, nostrils, and tip of his tail stick out of the water. 

“Oh sorry,” N says, heart still racing. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” 

Kecleon gets up and moves closer, sitting down next to N. N smiles, and turns his head to see Mt. Chimney, barely illuminated by the full moon. 

It must be a cloudy night, because N can’t see any stars. He thinks about when he was little, and he’d go to sleep in the forest with Darmanitan. If he laid on his back, he’d be able to see the moon, cut up by the layers of leaves. He thinks about his new friend Mr. Briney, a nice old sailor whose best friend is an energetic Wingull named Peeko. 

N talked to Peeko for a long time, asking her questions about her life with Mr. Briney. She told him about how much Mr. Briney cared about her. He worried about how she was doing and where she was, and everything he did was to try to make her happy.

They often go out onto the surrounding routes. Mr. Briney will anchor their boat and sit while Peeko flies around or bobs on the ocean waves. 

N is captivated by Peeko and her stories, but they bring with it a strong remorse for his actions.

He, in his blind selfishness, was willing to separate all Pokémon and people. The thought of tearing Peeko and Mr. Briney apart causes a lump to rise in his throat.

He reminds himself that Ghetsis strategically glossed over this type of relationship, only presenting the worst of the worst to construct the tool he needed for world domination.

Many of the Pokémon N had met so far had no animosity towards humans. The Kecleon hanging out in the hot spring with him proved just that. 

He gets out of the hot spring when he feels his eyelids getting heavy, a quiet drowsiness settling over his body. 

He misses his friends. He wishes they could be here with him right now, experiencing the things he’s experiencing. 

The heat from the springs has sunk into his bones, leaving him calm and loose, and his dreams are filled with the same sense of peace and warmth.

* * *

**Sinnoh**  
_Route 216_

Unova, in certain places, can get quite cold, but it’s nothing like the northern part of Sinnoh.

He finds the Snowbound Lounge. On the sign in the ground it says, “A Warm Bed and Little Else”. A sign also hangs from the door that reads, “Anybody is Welcome”. 

It’s unoccupied when he opens the door, but a much-needed wave of warmth blasts his icy face. N starts a fire in the fireplace, and begins heating up milk for hot cocoa. 

The cabin quickly becomes toasty, and N can feel his limbs thawing, sensation returning to his fingers and toes. 

When his hot cocoa is ready, he wraps his still-cool fingers cautiously around the mug. Through the window, he watches the unrelenting snowfall, and decides that he’d really like to be part of it.

Ghetsis rarely let N go outside, especially as he got older. Never if the weather was poor.

Instead of being bitterly cold, the wind has died down and the snow drifts gently to the ground, reminding him of days when fields of Cottonee and Whimsicott would float on the sweet summer breeze.

The setting holds a profound serenity. The black night blankets the snow-tipped evergreens. The only sounds are the crackling of the fire and the occasional crunch of boots or Pokémon walking in the snow.

Tiny, beautiful crystals of ice join the snow, and N tilts his head back to see a Glaceon resting on the roof. 

She laughs, a merry tinkling noise, and the movement of her head sends more crystals falling from the tips of her teal, icicle-like ribbons. 

Together they appreciate the flurry, until the fire begins to die and N must go inside to re-fuel it. Glaceon hops down from the roof, her landing noiseless and graceful. 

N enters the cabin and throws a couple more logs on the fire. He washes his empty mug and leaves it in the sink to dry. He turns off the light, and the room becomes bathed in an orange glow.

He crawls into bed and within minutes, he’s asleep.

* * *

**Kalos**  
_Lumiose City_

“Excuse me sir, do you need help?”

N turns to see a blonde woman approaching him. 

“Hi, my name’s Serena,” she says, the lilt of her voice soft with her accent. “I didn’t mean to startle you, I just noticed you standing there and you looked a little lost.”

“I am. Lost, I mean,” N says. “I was looking for Café Pokémon-Amie, but the map is a little confusing, and I’m not familiar with the language here.”

“Oh! I’m going to the florist, which is on the same street as that café. We can go together if you’d like.”

“I would like that very much.”

The trip to the florist doesn’t take very long. Serena is picking up some flowers for her apartment, and then a couple doors down is the café.

As soon as they walk in, N is greeted by the sight of Pokémon everywhere. They’re hanging around the customers, they’re behind the counter at the register, some are even helping make and serve the food and drinks.

Serena tells him to sit down by the window while she gets them iced sweet tea. He obeys, first observing as she goes up to the counter and order, then turning his attention to the passersby out the window. 

She joins him a few minutes later with a glass in each hand. She hands him one, and he takes a sip, letting the taste of the tea wash over his tongue.

“I don’t like when they make the tea too sweet, so if you’d like more sugar, I can get you some,” Serena says.

“No, this is good,” N replies. “Thank you… for being so kind. I really appreciate it.”

“It’s nothing.” She waves him off. “Part of what I love about the city is the tourism it attracts. Like Combees to honey. Have you been able to see Prism Tower yet?”

“I did, last night.”

“Oh good. You got to see it when it was all lit up. It’s lovely, isn't it?”

N nods. Something nudges his hand. 

He looks down at the Furfrou sitting at his feet. The Furfrou barks playfully, wagging his tail.

N reaches out and pets his head. He runs his hand through his silky fur and scratches behind the Furfrou’s ear. Judging by his reaction, N’s found a good spot.

“This café is one of the more popular ones in the city,” Serena explains, raising her voice to be heard above the clanking of dishes and general chatter and bustle of the coffee shop. “I forgot exactly how it came to be, but the general story is one day an Espurr wandered in and started using its psychic powers to deliver plates to and from the kitchen and ever since then it’s been open to Pokémon. Pretty neat huh?”

“I never… I never would’ve imagined such a place could exist,” N says, keeping his attention on the Pokémon laughing and playing with the people in the café. “I was raised to believe that all people did was hurt Pokémon, that the cause of Pokémon suffering could always be traced back to humans. But… I have come to see that that is not the truth.”

“Because of your traveling?”

“Yes… and also...” N stops. A weird sensation is rising in his chest. “I owe a lot to someone very important… someone who quite literally changed my entire life.”

“Wow, sounds like this person’s really special.”

“Yeah.” N smiles. “She is.”

_Parfum Palace Gardens_

_“Zekrom and Reshiram… They were once one life. One Pokémon. Complete opposites, yet the same.”_

He studies the statues Serena had told him about. 

“You have to go to the Parfum Palace,” she’d said after he’d informed her he was from Unova. “They have statues of the legendary dragons there. You know the legends don’t you?”

“I am familiar,” he’d said, biting back a smile.

“Follow Route 5. You’ll pass through Camphrier Town, and Parfum Palace is down Route 6. If you go past the daycare, you’ve gone too far.”

Reshiram stands with him, its head cocked. The garden is lovely, and mostly free of humans. 

Zekrom’s red eyes pin N to the spot. Even in statue form, it feels like it can see right through him. N’s mind is full with thoughts, not of Zekrom, but of its Hero.

Growing up he was alone. Sure, he had his friends and he loves them dearly. But, he missed out on a lot of things. Human things. His time with Touko proved that. It also showed him a glimpse of what life could be. What he could have.

He misses her. It’s an unfamiliar feeling. He’s never missed a person before.

_“I am impressed by the statues,”_ Reshiram says, derailing N’s current train of thought. _“The humans paid a lot of attention to detail.”_

“Reshiram, what do I do?” N blurts out. 

_“What do you mean?”_

“We still have one more region to see but…” He takes a deep breath, inhaling the scent of the garden, the flowers, the soil. Nature grounds him in a way that nothing else can.

_“I think we should go. We’ve come this far already, and we might as well finish what we started.”_

N closes his eyes, trying to steady his heart. If he stands here too long, the world might collapse around him.

_“We will see them again.”_

N trusts the conviction in Reshiram’s voice. He did set out to explore the world, and he’d be a hypocrite for not following through on his dream.

The feeling lingers, though.

* * *

**Alola**  
_Hau’oli City_

Alola is like nothing N has ever seen. The closest thing he can think of is the beaches in Johto or Hoenn.

He bites into the malasada, enjoying the crunch of the dough between his teeth. The smell of sugar pervades the air, wafting out of the malasada shop.

The only downside to Alola is the contrast in climate between here and Unova becomes very apparent when N gets dressed. He has to shed his white shirt and he removes his hat when his head starts overheating.

After finishing his malasada, he resumes exploring the islands. He seeks out hidden beaches, ones crawling with little Pokémon. 

_Alola truly is a paradise,_ he thinks to himself, gazing out at the sparkling sea. _I wish Touko was here with me._

The thought makes his heart skip. He sinks down into the sand under the shade of one of the numerous palm trees growing around the region. 

True to N’s pattern of behavior, he falls asleep.

The dream from way back in Cianwood City returns. This time he recognizes the beach. It’s Hano Beach, one of Alola’s famous beaches. The girl is looking around, but instead of running into the water, she turns her face towards him.

His breath catches in his chest.

He should’ve known by the hair it was Touko.

“N,” she says, but her voice is muffled, like she’s trying to talk to him while he’s underwater. “Where are you?”

_I’m here,_ he wants to say, but he can’t speak.

“Where are you?” she repeats. Her eyes sweep the area, and stop when they meet his. 

They are like small oceans. He stares at them, but instead of being clear, calm waters, they are stormy waves. 

“Come back to me,” she says. “Come home.”

N gasps and sits up abruptly. His hands dig into the sand. A few Pikipek have gathered around him and freeze at his sudden movement.

N takes a few deep breaths, waiting for his pulse to return to normal.

Her voice echoes in his head.

_Come home._

* * *

**Going Home**

_“The cries of suffering Pokémon filling that room… The borderline between Pokémon and humans… I exist on that line.”_

Reshiram’s gaze dips to him as he walks toward it. Reshiram has been waiting patiently. It knows what N’s heart wants. It knows what N’s heart has wanted.

_“I will separate Pokémon and people, and black and white will be clearly distinct! Only then will Pokémon become perfect beings!”_

It bows its head when N stops in front of it. His eyes travel up to Reshiram’s.

Neither one of them says anything. Neither moves. The moment is fragile, hanging by a taut string. The silence stretches for a mile between them.

_“There’s no way a person like me, someone who only understands Pokémon—No, actually… I didn’t understand them, either. No way could I measure up to you, when you had met so many Pokémon and were surrounded by friends…”_

He reaches out and places his hand between Reshiram’s eyes. His hand is warm. Reshiram’s body radiates heat, and it travels up through N’s arm into his heart.

_“From their Poké Balls, I can hear the many different feelings Pokémon have about their Trainers! More than anything, I can hear their joy that they met people who need them!”_

He is new. 

He is ready.

_“I’ll go… For Pokémon, for Trainers, and for all lives… And for my friends who saved me!”_

“It’s time to go home, Reshiram,” he speaks carefully. “I’ve seen what I needed to see… and now we must find the other Hero.” He turns his head to the clouds. “There is something I have to tell her.”

**Author's Note:**

> sorry this took so long! i wanted to write this for a while, but it was really hard to get started, and then i kinda forgot about it. my goal was to finish this before i go on vacation, so i'm glad i got it done. 
> 
> anyways this is the final work in this series. the series isn't in chronological order because i don't want to break up the flow of the main game series works. this one is more like an extra if you want to read about where n went during his travels. it's stylistically different because it's more from n's pov than the others.
> 
> i'll proofread this a little later. i've been staring at it for too long.
> 
> in case anyone is curious [here](https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Bell_Tower#History) is the story of bell/tin tower
> 
> tumblr [@shinyswablue](https://shinyswablue.tumblr.com/)


End file.
